Container delivery system air-drops are presently effected on existing airplanes by the use of a guillotine knife to cut release gates which are comprised of one or more layers of nylon webbing that hold the containers in the airplane. A winch cable is strung the length of the cargo compartment to reach the release gates toward or at the after end of the cargo floor, the cable being used to release the guillotine knife for individual cuts.
Slackness in the release gates due to container shifting, and dull knives make the system unreliable at times so as to delay the release and to thereby cause the containers to overshoot the drop zone.
A search of the patent literature discloses a number of systems which propose solutions to this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,999 shows a link 49, FIGS. 5, 8 and 9, held in place by link retainer 78, pivoted at 79 and operated by links 80 and 81. The link retainer has a pair of rollers 84 and 85 which engage the link 49. Links 80 and 81 are operated by an actuating link 87 which is operated either by a cam 46 on a shaft 38 or by a solenoid 90.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,917 illustrates a device for controlling discharge load carrying pallets from an airplane in which rails support the pallets and latches hold the pallets in place on the rails with a shaft connected at the latches to operate them into a release position. There are means provided to actuate the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,372 discloses a cargo holding system wherein pallets are individually fastened or released by a control device operable from either end. The system comprises notched pallets which are held at various locations along a rail by series of spring biased latches. The operation of the latches is controlled by a long cam which extends the length of the rail and which has many positions which provide for the fastening and releasing of each pallet individually.
The following patents disclose related systems:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,983 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,051 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,774,560 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,410 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,905 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,235 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,729 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,090 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,092 PA1 British Pat. No. 916,264 PA1 French Pat. No. 1,234,777